I was reading a cool article in Bicycle Times magazine about a guy who refurbished a 1984 Super LeTour 12.2 Road bike, complete with a black and white paint job and gold striping and embellishments. It is a sweeeet bike with hammered fenders and sports the owner's last name on it, as if it were the brand. Technically, it is his own brand. I thought about how personal our bikes are to us. Last week at Tampa track, a young girl had just gotten a beautiful purple Intense 20" racing bike ... she looked thrilled when I asked if she'd pose for a pic. I had to send it to my purple loving kid in Hawaii. Together with Frankenbutt, they built an almost completely purple HH cruiser when she was in her teens. She loved showing it off!Although I love my bike, it raises eyebrows from other riders. My bike has been customized for me and Frankenbutt is probably the only bike mechanic that would consider doing all the crazy things I've asked. The latest? Well, I needed my bar ends extensions to be more about what's comfortable for me. Most riders position the extensions tilted forward and slightly in. I wanted mine to be upright and bent into almost an "L" shape. After much discussion, Frankenbutt agreed. Of course, I needed them wrapped in red cushioning tape, which he obliged. Red is my favorite color and I feel better with bright red accents on my white frame bike. So, I got an idea. I'd like to invite all of our Ride the Nation followers to email us (ridethenation@yahoo.com) a pic of you and your bike. Include a note with your first name, where you're from and a little something about your bike. We'll post it on our "Me 'n my bike" page. Show off your ride! I'll get a good shot of my bike and me and post it, too. Let's face it, for 4 and a half months, my bike and me will be almost inseparable ... I better show it some love now!Speaking of "showing some love", I'm really pleased at the way people have embraced our ride and are helping us to meet our goals. Today, I emailed all the tracks we are planning to visit to let them know how they can build local publicity for their track via the story of our ride. Here's a response I got from our new friends at Hagerstown, MD BMX: "Hagerstown Bmx would be glad to have you! Call anytime, and we will do everything we can to help you in your adventure!!"Thanks again to all our supporters, cheerleaders, idea givers and followers! Below is our planned bike route. Hope to see you out on the BMX circuit!